Something momentous is taking place right now: Britain’s coal age is ending. The UK’s last coal power station shuts down today, 30th September.
It might be easily forgotten, but this is a radical and historic shift in our energy system – and it was brought about by people power.
In 2008 First Minister Alex Salmond, advocating for new opencast mines and ‘carbon capture’ coal power stations, declared “coal is the future". He was proved wrong.
The campaign against was led by a largely accidental coalition of groups wielding direct action, civil disobedience, and sabotage, but also letter writing, lobbying, marches, media work and a lot of patient and dedicated community organising.
Coal was defeated but we did not win a just transition. Instead, the closures became the final part of a tale of decline dating back to Thatcher’s attack on mining communities. Renewables have risen but our energy system is still in private hands and green jobs from public transport, insulation and renewable heat remain out of reach.
Today is a reminder of how campaigning has reshaped our world, but transformation is not enough: we demand justice too.
Read the full story of how people power ended the coal era: https://lnkd.in/evQFga-z